The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Now that Willow and Penelope had reached a consensus, the rest of us agreed to grab lunch together. We chose a restaurant the children liked, and they ordered the burger-and-fries set with pudding for dessert. After ordering their meals, Willow and Penelope peered over the counter at the bunny-shaped puddings, their jaws dropping in awe.

Willow asked in amazement, "How did they make that pudding? It's so cute!"

Penelope was stunned by the dessert, too. "Beats me! But the chefs must be geniuses."

Suzy and I watched the kids from our seats and grinned. I marveled at the idyllic moment, wondering if anything could come close to it. Suzy poured me a glass of water and said, "I never thought I could enjoy such happy family moments, especially with a child."

"Tell me about it," I said heartily. "Before meeting Willow, I thought raising a child was supposed to be challenging and full of conflicts." Raising Zachary had been like that. I could be looking out for his best interests, and he would think I was deliberately picking on him.

Suzy wordlessly surveyed me with a surprised look on her face. "Did you have a hard time with your first child?"

I chose my words carefully and answered gravely, "Sort of. I don't hate him as much as I hate his father, though. As far as I'm concerned, his father was a bad influence on him. He wouldn't have turned out to be such a menace otherwise." Sighing, Suzy guessed, "Your ex-husband had an affair, huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

She shook her head when she heard this. She had experienced the same betrayal as did, and she added with understanding, "A husband can never go back to having a normal family life after he cheats. He's got his mistress to worry about He'll do anything to please her, even if it means manipulating his child." noveldrama

"You're right," I agreed. "He introduced my kid to his mistress and got them to bond over time. He brainwashed the kid into believing his mistress was better than me.

"For a time, I tried persuading myself that my son was innocent. I told myself he would learn that I cared about him if he stayed with me long enough."

Suzy patted my shoulder in silent comfort.

I chuckled and said, "But then something else happened after that. Since then, I've washed my hands off the father-and-son duo for good."

"You wouldn't know how wonderful the world and the rest of society are until you've left a horrible marriage," Suzy said.

Her words struck a chord within me. "True. I wouldn't have met a cutie like Willow otherwise."

When our orders were served, I called out to Willow and Penelope, "Kids! It's time for lunch!"

"Coming!" the girls replied happily. Seconds later, they bounded up to the table.

Zane manned the table while Suzy and I took the kids to the restroom to wash their hands. Willow's face was flushed as she said, "I want to go back to the playground after I finish my food! It's so much fun!" "Me, too!" Penelope said excitedly.

I didn't want to rain on their parade, especially after they made their decision. However, I smiled as I asked, "Don't forget about your performance this afternoon. Don't you want to braid your hair after your meals? We won't have time to style your hair if you toddle off to the playground later."

Willow and Penelope exchanged a distressed look. They were slated to perform before their teachers and peers. As much as they wanted to play, it would look bad for them to show up for the performance looking disheveled and sweaty.